I had no good expectations of this movie, as movies from the 90s by Sergio Martino - Foxy Lady, La regina degli uomini pesce, Mozart is a Murderer - have been a mixed bag. Most of the reviews online were pretty rough on it as well. And then I remembered - you alone judge whether or not a movie is a success. It is only a success to you, the viewer, if you enjoy it.
And I loved this.
Luigi (Ron Nummi) seemingly has it all. A great house, lots of money, a rising career and a ring on the finger of Cinzia (Simona Borioni), his rich soon-to-be wife. But none of it excites him. What does is when his young cousin Sonia (Vittoria Belvedere) comes to stay at his place and insinuates himself into his life. His fiancee instantly hates her, but you can get her point. Sonia is pretty much like a statue created by one of the sculptors of Rome's artistic past that has come to life.
You can also see why Luigi is tempted. His fiancee wants to discuss money issues and appointments even while they have sex. Before you know it, he's forgotten her and the idea that incest is kind of creepy and is right between the thighs of an angel. Or a demon. Or, you know, demons are truly fallen angels.
I'm always a fan of movies where male characters suddenly have all of their sexual fantasies come true and then realize that they are not prepared to be a part of them. Usually, these filthy thoughts last just long enough for men to get pleasure, but the idea that you have to have a life with fantasy can be frankly exhausting. And dangerous. And when the object of your desire may be not just a bit strange but a literal maniac that perhaps even eats human flesh, well, you may be on your own.
Things go from sex all the time to sex in every room to sex in public to picking up women in discos to public couple swapping in the middle of a diamond store robbery while Luigi has Sonia's panties on his face. Yes, really.
What he doesn't know is that his new lover can go from sexually charged lover ready to do anything for you to a jealous killing machine who even experiments with black magic, eating those she kills and showing up at your office to sleep with your boss.
With a story co-written by Umberto Lenzi (uncredited) and Maurizio Rasio (credited), this is every bad girl cliche wrapped into one and ending with an absolutely ridiculous battle between the two leads, as she - -clad in lingerie - ties him up and decimates him, including one moment where she kicks him literally in the heart with a stiletto heel.
Martino has ended so many movies atop a building and this is no different. Also, like so many giallo, it also closes with a mannequin launched off said building. I am for all of these things.
If Vittoria Belvedere had been around in 1972. She'd be mentioned in the same sentence as all of the giallo queens that Martino featured to the best of his abilities. Sure, this in no way outshines anything that the director made in his glorious past, but I put aside those thoughts and everything I read in advance.
It's strange, because when I watch 90s Argento, I just get sad as past glories seem so far away. Yet Martino has always excelled at story instead of style, so I can still find so much to love even in his later work. There are moments in here that made me laugh in sheer pleasure. That's all that we can ask from a movie.
And I loved this.
Luigi (Ron Nummi) seemingly has it all. A great house, lots of money, a rising career and a ring on the finger of Cinzia (Simona Borioni), his rich soon-to-be wife. But none of it excites him. What does is when his young cousin Sonia (Vittoria Belvedere) comes to stay at his place and insinuates himself into his life. His fiancee instantly hates her, but you can get her point. Sonia is pretty much like a statue created by one of the sculptors of Rome's artistic past that has come to life.
You can also see why Luigi is tempted. His fiancee wants to discuss money issues and appointments even while they have sex. Before you know it, he's forgotten her and the idea that incest is kind of creepy and is right between the thighs of an angel. Or a demon. Or, you know, demons are truly fallen angels.
I'm always a fan of movies where male characters suddenly have all of their sexual fantasies come true and then realize that they are not prepared to be a part of them. Usually, these filthy thoughts last just long enough for men to get pleasure, but the idea that you have to have a life with fantasy can be frankly exhausting. And dangerous. And when the object of your desire may be not just a bit strange but a literal maniac that perhaps even eats human flesh, well, you may be on your own.
Things go from sex all the time to sex in every room to sex in public to picking up women in discos to public couple swapping in the middle of a diamond store robbery while Luigi has Sonia's panties on his face. Yes, really.
What he doesn't know is that his new lover can go from sexually charged lover ready to do anything for you to a jealous killing machine who even experiments with black magic, eating those she kills and showing up at your office to sleep with your boss.
With a story co-written by Umberto Lenzi (uncredited) and Maurizio Rasio (credited), this is every bad girl cliche wrapped into one and ending with an absolutely ridiculous battle between the two leads, as she - -clad in lingerie - ties him up and decimates him, including one moment where she kicks him literally in the heart with a stiletto heel.
Martino has ended so many movies atop a building and this is no different. Also, like so many giallo, it also closes with a mannequin launched off said building. I am for all of these things.
If Vittoria Belvedere had been around in 1972. She'd be mentioned in the same sentence as all of the giallo queens that Martino featured to the best of his abilities. Sure, this in no way outshines anything that the director made in his glorious past, but I put aside those thoughts and everything I read in advance.
It's strange, because when I watch 90s Argento, I just get sad as past glories seem so far away. Yet Martino has always excelled at story instead of style, so I can still find so much to love even in his later work. There are moments in here that made me laugh in sheer pleasure. That's all that we can ask from a movie.